April 12, 2017
13 Times Alaska Bears Thought They Were Humans And Got Caught On Candid Camera
Alaska Bears - Video Footage From The Last Frontier
By: Courtney Dowd-Stanley
Alaska bears are exceptional creatures to observe in their natural habitat. After emerging from their winter hibernation, bears attract visitors to Alaska from all around the globe each summer season. The Last Frontier is home to all three species of North American bears: black bears, brown/grizzly bears and polar bears. Many regions throughout the great 49th state offer world-renowned bear viewing excursions where people hope for a chance to get up-close-and-personal with these amazing creatures. But sometimes, Alaska bears just want to act like humans and end up center stage where you least expect.
YouTube1 – The one time a black bear cub walked into Tatsuda's IGA grocery store in Ketchikan, and couldn’t stay away from the produce rack. https://youtu.be/8oPHu8s5xNU This video was filmed on October 15, 2011. Local police came and released the bear into the wild. It was the first time in recorded history that anything like that had happened in the small Southeast Alaska town.
2 – The black bear that just wanted to go shopping at Target and Sports Authority in the Tikahtnu Commons complex in Anchorage. https://youtu.be/qL2Fj0mvPAI Not your ordinary day out shopping this East Anchorage neighborhood off Muldoon Road. The bear ended up running off as crowds gathered.
3 – The high-speed police chase that happened in downtown Anchorage where the officer captured the four-legged suspect on camera as he window shopped. https://youtu.be/WbtSCSS8oBY This video footage is just brilliant! Thankfully no one was hurt, and local law enforcement used the captured content as an informative public reminder to be safe, prepared, and bear-aware, even in the city.
4 – The big beautiful brown bear at McNeil River who enjoyed kicking back and soaking in the sights with a group of guided visitors. https://youtu.be/Jx0KkOiOtxQ McNeil River is home to the largest seasonal congregation of brown bears on planet earth. This is a must-experience if you can make it to the Alaska Peninsula.
5 – The massive brown bear that wanted to pop in and see what was going on at the Ranger Station at Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park & Preserve. https://youtu.be/RypUdGfiZ6E
6 – The sow black bear and her two cubs that were taking the campus tour at UAA in Anchorage. https://youtu.be/GyWUR2v16N8
7 – The black bear that just wanted to play hide and seek with a cow moose and her two calves. https://youtu.be/JRyoaPQkibA This footage was snapped on June 3, 2011, in Anchorage’s Hillside neighborhood.
8 – The black bear in a south Anchorage neighborhood who just wanted to inspect the road maintenance site. https://youtu.be/gI7prqwBHK0 This rare moment of a black bear sniffing fresh asphalt was captured on June 6, 2011, at the intersection near O’Malley and Independence Drive in Anchorage.
9 – The black bear that thought about checking into Anchorage’s downtown Aviator Hotel, but then decided to go to the cemetery instead. https://youtu.be/N_NyUezs0Vw Although the bear (estimated to weigh over 200 pounds) gave everyone a little scare, no one was harmed, and the bear later retreated up a tree.
10 – The sow and her two cubs who decided to use the crosswalk near Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. https://youtu.be/Gt7g0k0sIEc As you can see, tourists quickly lined up by the masses to photograph the entire scene.
11 – Beachcombing with a sow and her two cubs proved to be a little ‘too close for comfort’ for some visitors to Katmai National Park & Preserve. https://youtu.be/ZREdbw_Mu_4
12 – The black bear who just wanted to be a part of the high school baseball game in Alaska’s capital city of Juneau. https://youtu.be/tIg5ZEYeoSc
13 – The grizzly bear that wanted nothing to do with the GoPro camera a naturalist brought out into Alaska’s backcountry. https://youtu.be/JIhCNbdIFT4
Alaska bears are unique and distinguished. While brown bears and grizzly bears are technically classified as the same species, Alaska is also home to the Kodiak Island Brown Bear. This distinct subspecies of brown bears are unique in that they are physically isolated in the remote wilderness and have much larger bone structure. Southeast Alaska’s Admiralty Island is home to the highest density of brown bears in North America (the bears outnumber the human population nearly three to one). No matter where you go in Alaska, it’s important to be aware of local area wildlife and to be vigilant of your surroundings.
Looking for more where that came from? Check out these 15 indisputable fears that everyone living in Alaska has had. Also, you're sure to get a good laugh from these 23 hilariously accurate ways to always spot a tourist in Alaska. If you are living and loving The Alaska Life – share your adventures with us on our Facebook page HERE, and they might just end up getting featured in one of our next blog posts.
Written by Courtney Dowd-Stanley
6 comments
Adam, that is a shotgun. You can see the loading port on the underside of the shotgun. A 45-70 guide gun loads on the side. It is probably loaded with slugs. Way more knockdown power than a 45-70.
Bob
April 17, 2021
That’s an Alaskan guide series 45-70, a shotgun would not stop a brown bear attacking you. You can shoot their heart out and it still attack 2+ minutes. You need massive blunt force trauma to stop them. Most guides won’t let you go hunting with anything less than a 300 win mag, and if you’re bow hubting, they have the gun in the video as back up.
Adam
April 17, 2021
Bear meat feeds many a family’s on the winter. Not sure where you got you’re information.
Amber
April 17, 2021
Who says you can’t eat bear?
Brandon
April 17, 2021
How beautiful. It must be magical to live so close to nature.
But it’s very sad and barbaric to hunt animals you cannot eat. Trophies are a sign of an underdeveloped mind.
Jo
April 17, 2021
Note the shotgun near the chair in #4. THAT’S a tad too close. Luckily the observers weren’t competing for a fishin’ spot.
Margie
April 17, 2021